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While
she got her start from Calcutta, it was in Lahore, close to hometown
Qasur where the limelight flooded her. Master Ghulam Haider, a master in
the truest sense of the expression put the raw gold in the child's voice
in Gul Bakaoli (1939) with "Shala jawanian mane" on the
road to lasting fame. In another movie, the same composer's "Bas
bas wey dholna" accorded her instant mass popularity. From then
on there was no looking back for the precocious child who was just ten
at the time. But maturity and professional recognition came with her
first film as leading lady, at the age of 14 in Khandan (1942) with "Tu
konsi badli mein mere chand hai aaja". Once again the composer
was Master Ghulam Haider.
Marriage
to Rizvi took her to Broadway, to new and vaster horizons. Director
Mehboob cast her in Anmol Ghari (1946) in which she had a chance to work
with one of the greatest composers of India, Naushad. Rizvi paired her
with a young and promising but little known actor, Dilip Kumar in Jugnoo
(1947). Both films were big hits at the box office. The teenaged
singer-actress had taken Bollywood by storm; she was heralded as a star
of dazzling luminosity.
She
was poised for sweeping the Indian cinema, both as actress and singer at
that time. But in Pakistan, too, her career continued flourishing though
the industry was in its infancy, much smaller in size and resources in
comparison with Bombay and operated in a restricted circuit.
Professional standards were not of a quality to do justice with her
immense potential. Despite such handicaps, she went from proverbial
success to success, from glory to glory. A somewhat questionable
achievement was becoming that first woman director of films in Pakistan.
That was with Chan We (1951), produced by Rizvi. But marriage hit the
rocks and floundered after ten years and three children. Another
marriage with actor Ejaz ended in a similar way after three more
children.
There were ups and
downs in her personal life. But her career prospered. The magnificence
of her voice groomed in her early years by Kajjan Bai, a famous Indian
singer of the 20s and 30s, and enriched by riyaz lasting up to twelve
hours or more every day, gave her heights while as an actress she
gathered luster with every film. She gave significant performances in
Dopatta (1952), Gulnar (1953), Intezar (1956), Lakht-e-Jiggar (1956),
Annar Kalli (1958), Koel (1959) and Neend (1959), to name a few of her
movies of 50´s. She had indeed become eligible for playing lead only as
an actress. It is, however, unlikely that her acting could ever match
the excellence of her singing.
In any case,
marriage with Ejaz put a stop to her career as an actress. He did not
want her on the screen and she acquiesced like a conventional housewife.
She herself wasn't much interested in acting.
The
decision provided a boost for her singing. With acting out of the way,
she could concentrate on singing with single mindedness. As playback
singer she touched new heights with Mousiqar (1962), Sawal (1966),
Lakhon mein aik (1967), Mirza Jatt (1967), Dosti (1971), Naag Munni
(1972), Heer Ranjha (1970), Sher Khan, Sala Sahib & Chan Waryam
(1981), Sholey (1984), Moula Bakhsh (1988) and innumerable other movies.
Indeed
after the break with Ejaz, she plunged headlong into playback singing,
often recording five to six songs in a day. How many songs she recorded
in her career is anybody's guess. Estimates place the number above ten
thousand. It is a sad commentary on the state of management of arts in
Pakistan that an undetermined percentage of her work may have perished.
There is no inventory even of songs she recorded; a library of Noor
Jehan's songs is a far cry. It is time the Ministry of Culture, along
with serious-minded people from the film industry (there still are a few
professionally-oriented men in cinema) got down to putting things in
order and at least preserving what has survived the ravages of neglect.
While
she has been acclaimed as the supreme soprano, a truly gifted artist and
adulated, her class and contribution have never been critically
evaluated. What exactly is the place of Madam Noor Jehan in the music
of, first, the subcontinent, and then Pakistan? "Unrivalled,
incomparable," says Nisar Bazmi, virtually the last of authentic
composers of Pakistan's cinema.
While
she remained confined to light music and popular singing, she always
believed in classical music. "Pop" she said: "is like a
foundation of sand; a cooking pan of wood. The same songs reappear after
some time. Classical is eternal". A strong classical base is
reflected in her singing. She effortlessly moved in difficult, demanding
trajectories. High and low notes came to her with naturalness to
underline and elaborate the range of her talent. The fibre of her voice
retained resolution in all scales. Her articulation of turns,
enunciation of emphasis, pauses and stresses belong to the most creative
dimension of virtuosity.
The
government acknowledged her work by awarding the "Pride of
Performance Award" to her, making Noor Jehan the first woman to be
so honored. She used to be at the Lahore Radio Station every day,
rehearsing for hours and recording a song only when she was fully
satisfied. This was the patriotic involvement and commitment of a song
stress who normally had one look at the score and delivered every note,
every syllable in perfect order virtually off the cuff. Financial
considerations never featured in that campaign.
Age
and illness took hold of her some years ago and she withdrew from public
life; her place in the hearts of the people remained intact. When the
news that she was seriously ill broke, newspaper offices were inundated
with calls from her admirers; it became clear once again that she was
widely adulated.
Artists across the sub continent have also been
inspired and overawed by her. Indian singer, Lata Mangeshkar, a legend
in her recording time, refers to her with veneration. Who else could be
Pakistan's personality of the millennium but Noor Jehan? |
